My Flesh #5

My eyes are wide open
how I wish they were closed
and I was deep in sleep
then when morning came
and I rose
this would be a nightmare
played out solely
in the recesses of my
unconsciousness

My eyes are wide open
and my heart is bleeding
on the inside of me
for the mother who
cries as her child lies
in plain sight
struck by a hatred
disguised

My eyes are wide open
as a look to heaven
wanting to ask
why my God why
nothing I tell her will
ease this void
violently imposed
this fateful day

My Flesh #4

As I cry
I rejoice
for I believe
with all of me
as hard as it is
to accept the
end result
our children
are having a new kind
of fun
over the moon
circling the sun
in the midst of
heat theirs is a cool
relief

As I cry
I rejoice
for I believe
the devil had to
get permission
to take Trayvon
out of this world
in order to usher
him into the next

over the moon
circling the sun

My Flesh #3

My skin
screams for justice
just as his voice
cried

It's truth
he died
in a fight
unfair

Makes no difference
a tree
a gun
a river
or the
sidewalk

His blood
left his body
and hit the
ground

My skin
screams for justice
just as his voice
cried

How the memory
of my ancestors
looks
at this America
in disdain
relived pain

Our sons
are gone
from this walk
we are propelled
to gather together
just as
we gathered together
for the cause
of humanity and justice

My skin
screams for justice
just as his voice
cried

My Flesh #2

As long as our skin is darker than most
mahogany brown
blue black
or African
we shall see harder days
but joy awaits
with our heavenly gaze

As long as our skin is darker than most
fitting in will be difficult
at best
looking for our place
of comfort
in this land will seem
to be elusive
as sandcastle
on dry land

As long as our skin is darker than most
we will have
to school our children
on how to simply
walk to the store
for candy and soda
shall we go two by two
I think so
but even this is no guarantee

As long as our skin is darker than most
I'm going to make sure that
death will be stared in the face
life beyond the clouds will
be a final resting place
because God will be the
final judge of where and when
we open our eyes a second time

Another Ship Won't Do

It runs deep
the root of the soul
of a people
snatched by the life
and limb
from the humble
abode of what they called
home
to be dragged
through resistance
to travel a road
never known
seen or heard
the words said,
go back where you
came from
with no thought
to the remembrance
of ancestors past
who transported
the masses
to a land
we never dreamed of seeing
slaving over or serving
where we come from
is no longer
a choice
we have to be
comfortable
where we are or
die
trying
crying
praying

My Flesh

My flesh says what you say
I hear your
screams
for blood lost,
and I shed tears
at the thought of
dead justice

My reason says
this could have been avoided
in so many ways
blood lost
shed tears
dead justice

My motherhood
says I've lost my child
my heart grieves
but he's safer now
can I change tomorrow
for some other mother

My Spirit says
be comforted in knowing
God will take care of
the unjust as well as the peace makers
trailblazers
and the martyrs
blood lost
shed tears
dead justice

My flesh wants what it wants
retaliation
vindication
annihilation
but that makes me no
better than the
oppression
disguised
as self defense

I Wrote A Book

There's a reason why
I'm not dating
If I could take all the
credit
for my singleness
I would
But I choose to
call it like I follow
the path of destiny
for every other aspect of my life
so with that I say
God has taken me on
a majestic carpet ride
as a sojourner
a world
stateside traveller
three years of globetrotting
to find my way back to
the lone star state
to reunite
with my babies
my girlfriends
and my mate

A Book

when I come across slavery
of any year
by any name
I feel some kind
of way
like a raging
mudslide
or a rupturing volcano
I am filled with anger
rage and emotion
but alas
I cannot change
the past yet I pray
for the future
as do the others
who see as I see

Rhyme This

Artistry has many forms
find yours
and keep it close to your heart
I am creative energy
uncontainable
I inspire
I ignite
excite and unnerve
My initiative puts me out in front
of the rest
and intimidates
That's what they told me
creating a stirring up of the
masses
But no one's on my time, on my side
they perpetrate camaraderie
A façade of a relationship
yet when I'm alone I'm reminded
Of my army, the size of the heavens
Now that's wide

Mountain Climber

They gave it to me or so they believe
I took it and ran with it
They set me up to
Fail
By the mouth, the hand and the foot
They didn't expect me to excell
Nor to learn how to use it
Or so they believe
I've been at this life for decades
Can do it by heavenly degrees
I surpassed their expectations
I have succeeded in ways too bold
For words
And I'm loved by the masses
But conformed to the One
They admire it in me
Yet they're scared of it too
Set me up to fail and if they're not
Careful I'll be the force that
Blows a hole right through.

This Little Heart of Mine

my heart bleeds
upon the pillow
where my tears leave
stains
in the middle of the night
when sleep is all I fight
can someone come and rescue me
from this simple strand of misery
my heart bleeds
and waits
for a complex solution
only in it's makeup will
the irony
be
for completion
is a man different from me
my heart bleeds

In Search of Solace

To find a place
Cool and comforting
In the middle of this journey
Where I can pitch a tent
To cover my valuables
And their contents
For you see I am the valued one
With pockets of treasures
Hidden in the valves
And the veins
Like gemstones buried
In caves
And diamonds
Inlaid
Masked by the darkness
Of rough black coal
To find a place
Cool and comforting
To rest my heart and soul.

Ice Cream Man

Summer come quick
Bring me pleasure
Sweet and cool
By the bowl or popsicle stick
And let it be delivered
By love attached
To chocolate eyes
Strong hands
And a voice like
Lullabies.

Just Air

I got nothing but love for you
Magnified
If you knew half of what you think you know
I would be swimming in an ocean
Of blue bliss
And
Floating on clouds
White
And this whatever this moment
Of emptiness is called
Wouldn't exist!

Tested For Truth

We should be together
You and me
But time and circumstance
Won't agree
Or is it emotional travesty
Like sabotage
Purposely
With intent to deny
Chemistry
The balance reported
In the tapestry
Of the night time
Conversation
Between hearts and minds
Yours and mine
Intrusions
Interference
Of the jealous
Devilish kind
We should be together
You and me

Oh Dear

This letter will never make it to your hands
for I don't want to change your mind
because the choice was yours to make
and distance is what you chose
despite the joy that bounces
through your body to land
on your face in the turned up corners
of your lips
abandoning the ship
is your course
I'm not one to pour myself
out and over if you're not one
to absorb
woman overboard

Star Hopes

Hoping on a star
knowing a wish
is just a fancy word
for gamble
believing
that over there
at the end of this journey
is a man
hoping on the very same star
and our auras will
traverse the universe
like spirits do
and in a matter of minutes
that seem like
years
his voice will grace my ears
my voice will calm his fears
hoping on a star
that patience is more than
a virtue but a deep imbedded
precipice
because some days it feels
like I'm falling, reeling even
and not towards love
but an empty
abyss

Minds Blown

The story unfolds
With the stalling of my car
On a rainy evening on the other
Side of town
I wait

And then
Motion another block or two
Battery power depleted
Same side of town
I wait

Six days later
Chilling at the park
It's a baseball game
Waiting
By the tennis courts

Tall, dark and handsome
Set of locs
Black on black
I'm impressed
Spirits touched

Two days later
That car of mine's
Stalls again
Drained of all energy this time
I wait

In the shop
Three days at best
Alternator
Alternatives
Alternate transportation
And walks in the rain

A planned get together
To reconnect
Conversation went like this
And now we know
Destiny's effect

This was the design
That we would intertwine
From the spiritual
To the physical
And back to the spiritual
Now we work on mentals

Gravity

Trust like I held you
In the confines of my womb
And you grew from me
Inside my loins
Yet we are definitely
The beings of different body's

Trust like I sit in the chair
Of wondered design
And it holds the weight
Of me like I hold my breath
While I wait for thee

Trust like when he picked
Me up and my feet left the ground
It was more than an embrace
His arms wrapped around me
And I smiled with sheer delight

Music

The hum
Mesmerizing
Soothing calm that touches
And rocks one to sleep
My head on his chest
Rhythm of the heart beat
And the breath he breathes

Weeping

I am held when it seems
I'm at my lonliest
An alone zone
And yet I'm in the company
Of an army
Reminded that the spirit
Of the earth is my covering
And there is no hiding from
The eye and eye
I am seen before
And after long after
The current runs it's course
To the future
Yesterday will be a story
A legacy, a memory
An alone zone
Sometimes the strength of
Resolve is planted by a river.

If You Only Knew

I am a success story in progress
And there are people who want
To leave their fingerprints on my pages
And others who want
To rip the good pages right out
And the leave
The testimonies hanging by a thread
But there's a glue in me
That they can't see unless they're
The just Historian
That wrote before writing was made
Popular on walls of earthen clay in caves
Before we knew what color was
Before there were mirrors that
Showed a difference
I'm a success story in progress

Going in Circles

There is a saint fallen from grace
That I know
The creator tried
To make it not so
The age matters not
From six to one hundred and six
And I feel sad
Because believers want
To believe with all their heart
That this can't be so
The spirit has infiltrated
The imps of child size with
Childlike qualities
Apparent innocence
Is under attack
Reasoning
With giants
When you feel like a midget
How do you win
How do you get ahead
Abandon the idea
Get away
For days too many to count

My Reality Check

So many words to be taken lightly
And some never to be left alone
The opposite is sometimes the truth
But today what I tell you
Is real, vital and occurring this
Moment in life
To him, to her
Somebody closer than close
This is not a poem
Words spoken
Left on paper
Cryptic
Thoughts
Cyber-sized
Not an attempt to stifle
Shush or kill creativity
But a real message
He needs to be rescued
She needs a savior
Of the right now
Kind
Who resides deep inside
The realm of skin
Once removed
From this heaven
But a breath away
A prayer said
Everyone believes in someone
Some power
A thing bigger than self
And today they're
Asking for unity
Of the heartfelt kind
Sometimes the truth is larger
Than the life
This is not a poem.

Solace In A Breath

It just doesn't seem fair
When life and living hurt
So much that you wish death
Would hurry up and come
But then the imposition of demise
The audacity of the end
Means no more presence
Of the loved one and yet
Simultaneously no more pain
And suffering
Dare we be so selfish as to quietly
Beg that they hold on one more minute
One more day
Say see you again soon
Kiss, touch, hug and let go of them
Don't make them fight
With their last good breath
The final feeling
The emotion tide should be joy and peace
Of an existence well lived
Memories shared and danced.

Self Defined

I am not my name
Not because it lacks
The definition found in a
Book of baby names
But by this life that
I have lived
From the years of my youth
To yesterday
I am self defined
In between the obvious titles
And black and white lines
I am sunshine
Twinkles in eyes.
I am
Support that holds
Them all together.
I am life
Like air that inflates a balloon
Like kisses that make pains go away
Like oxygen needed for every cell's growth
I am woman, mother to my precious three
Mother to many others
Leader of a nation yet to come
Self defined
But definitions are endless, infinite
I am not my name
And still I am she
Queen of my identity
More than a number
A bit out of this realm's reach
And still some search for me.

Eyes On Him

I want to lay with him
But it's too risky
Unlike in my dreams
We're good
Outside in the grass
We romp around
In just our boots

30/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

They're both too old
For playing games
Yet mature enough to know
What they want
Nothing has changed
In the last fifty years,
Men still want sex
Women still want love
The gears are shifting
But the lines are the same
He doesn't want commitment
She wants to hyphenate his name
They sit at the table and discuss
Strategies
But in the end the plan
Is still lame
They have secrets, sprinkled with some truth
They admit it
They want to do the do
But in the morning
He's the same
And she is too
Nothing's changed
And they're both fifty-three
So she decided
He can do him
And she'll stay free!

29/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I write with my back against the wall
Looking up towards the ceiling
But my eyes are focused
On letters being pressed by
My thumbs
I write laying on top
Of my bed
On my stomach
With my elbows buried
In the sheets
I write while sitting
On the table
And my feet swinging
Back and forth
Making that swishing sound
I write standing still
With my legs spread apart
While riding the train
To help keep my balance
And when I'm thinking about
Writing I have visions
That cause my heart
To race
And my toes curl
And then I close my
Eyes
And my whole body
Jerks
And I moan
Puff
And sing
And when we're done
It's performance poetry!

Missionary Position

28/30 Haiku

Time did just fly by/ I realized when I started/ twenty-nine Monday

Yesterday

Love's Flight

I'm too much of a lady
to tell you the things you really need to hear
like you're handsome
and all but a bit
too arrogant
which is comical
because your
insecurities
scream louder
than the heights of your flesh
your life is a mess
and you got nothing
to offer me
in other words your
plate is empty
but you're too
cocky
to see your shortcomings
and
I'm too much of a lady
to set you straight
so I'll walk away.

Love's Limits

Writing because it rights the wrongs
that lay around in my head trying
to confound me
I know what I know
but scribing helps to remind me
that the melodies in my head
best serve me when I put them to music
creating my own personal song

I write because it's therapeutic
saving me hundreds of dollars
keeping me on my own couch
behind these four walls
I need mirrors
all around so I can see
my beauty which lies deeper
than the eyes

Writing because it rights the wrongs
that lay around in my head trying
to confound me
I know that you have no idea
of the depth, I am, buried internally
you're only allowed to see the me I present
but once you've touched
the heart of me you've touched all of me.

27/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Those spaces between the lines
Thick, thin, colored and redefined
They take you places
From here to there
Right next door, across the state
And to another world
Pages
Turning one at a time
Smooth, ragged, shiny from laminate
Notes in margins
Help to remind
This is where you hope to see
Your name in lights, bright
In print, simple
Black and white.

That Book

Tupac Must Be Smiling

I sat down one day at work

to try and pump my poetic

side

I found his book

something about a rose

and something harder than dirt,

concrete

his passion

and his words

hit like bricks

yet soothe like

chamomile

he speaks

of justice, lost, blind and found

he speaks of truth, strength and love

abound

so many things have changed

since he saw life last

I’m thinking

Tupac must be smiling

because of all people

Nelson Mandela

is free

at

last.

A Warm Girl

Her presence

feels like the sun

caressing the length

of your skin

Her words are

like dripped

caramel over

the apple of your soul

Her eyes see to

you but seldom thru

you, because she’s

affectionate

Her arms want to embrace

you like the handmade

quilt your grandmother

use to make

She’ll raise your body

temperature

like gas on a low

burning fire

A compassionate girl

she’ll spin your world

and cause a dance

in your heart

This warm girl.

26/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I woke up
in love
this morning, again
newly found stimulation
lying around
in God's creation
from the ground up

I woke up
in love
with me this morning
went to sleep
by prayers, meditation
and counting
sheep

I woke up
in love
this morning
with the joy in knowing
that come the end of July
I'll be sitting by the ocean
with my family

25/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I'm too tired to write/ and that's not the same as block/I'm too tired to write!
Exhausted

24/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

If you take me by the hand
I'll gladly traverse the land
Alongside you
Under skies of blue
I'll go wherever you go
I'll listen closely to know what you know
If you take me by the waist
I'll love you slow, never in haste
Under the moonlight
Behind closed doors, out of sight
I'll do what you do
All in girl style, though
If you take me by the heart
I'll live for you, in part
Under the watchful eyes of heaven
And out in the open before the nation
I'll love you for eternity
As you have already begun to love me.

My Love's Pledge

23/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Touch me
Everywhere
From the inside out
Stimulate my brain
With words that provoke
The emotions
With monumental impact
To the love quotient
And run your fingertips the length
Of my nerves
In a good way
Leave me speechless
Touch me
Everywhere
From the inside out
Tap my heart muscle
Make it want to dance to the music
Invoked by your rhythms
Let our beats mesh
Palpitate when one lows
The other highs
Contracts and relaxes
We move in unison
Touch me
Everywhere
From the inside out
Penetrate my walls of resistance
With your purpose eloquent
And make me
The lifeline of your
Memories.

22/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I'm A Fan

I like the sounds of rubber
Bouncing, dribbling up and
Down the court
The squeak of sneakers as they
Race to beat the clock
The swish of leather passing through
That just right rope
I like the ping of the ball on the backboard
And the roar of the crowd
I would love to be in the room
With the others being loud.

21/30 Love on the Run

I desire the most from him like
The promise attached to the last word
His last breath
That would bring him one lie closer
To death
Because truth his
He's constant
Consistent in leading me around
The bush
I go fishing by the sea of love
And I catch nothing
Bait, that's all I have
And I never bring anything
Home
I desire the most from him
In my daze I walk miles
And my buckets have holes in them
And by the end of my daily journey
My resilence has leaked out
I've had more than my share
Disillusions and disappointments
Abound
I just need to get over him

20/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Why do I even care
Why do I tell him
My where's
When after it's all said and done
I'm still the lone one
Holding onto a memory
That fades in and out of view
With the mention of his name
Flashbacks running around in
My head
I'm crazy about him
But not sure if he's good for me
Because time keeps moving
While emotions become placid
And love flails

18/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Morning love
Love mornings
Waking with you on my mind
Thankful for the times
Coming that I'll be holding
You in my embrace
Instead
Time has had it's way with us
Yet it seems like
Distance has placed
Miles upon miles
Between my tears
And our smiles
Pictures in frames
Pixels and tweets
Lips locked is but a memory
Bittersweet

17/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I'm not trying to break your spirit
Or your back
So you won't hear me
Or feel my words
Saying anything
That sounds like
Anticipation
Expectation
Because that's just
Too much pressure
To perform beyond measure
Just maybe you'll never
Get it right
But you'll die trying
Or simply go insane
And then who's to be the blame
I don't want my name stretched
Out in the sentence along with
Anyone's demise
I'm not trying to break your spirit
Or be the reason you find it so easy
To tell lies.

Not Your Alibi

16/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I tried to tell them in more ways than one
what it is you dislike about me
shines bright like the sun
I didn't create it
but I am part of it
by the hands
by the breath
by the thought
and by the heart
I'm way past your
tainted perception

I tried to tell them in more ways than one
injustice shall have a fight
but it won't come from me
at the end of the day my support system
has documented all the wrongs inflicted
there's a force that will respond
to every misguided vendetta or
retaliation against me simply because one
doesn't understand the strength of my ethics

I tried to tell them in more ways than one
there are boundaries set in place
for their protection and for my grace
they shall suffer the same pain and then some
that they tried to inflict on me
revenge is saved for Him who can
give it justly
I'm just a humble servant
with a glow that shows

15/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I'm in love with my imagination
Of him
Seems to be the only way we
Both win at least
That's what decorates my insides
Here in my daydreams
We like who we are
Our behaviors mesh
He ain't trying to rescue or repair me
And I ain't trying to change or trick him
We just harmonize like the lips
Of an artist on the metal
Of my harmonica
He kisses me and I melt
He smiles and I melt again
Like oil and water blend
Making butter that glides
On bread
He feeds me
And I nourish him
I'm in love with my imagination
When I close my eyes
And hold my breath
I feel him
Cover me like a blanket
Soft, firm and comforting
I exhale
He inhales
Me
Like I'm his survival, his gravity
Polar tendacies
We're connected
Galaxies apart
I hold onto hope and romance
Because he's real, he has to be
But for now
He's creativity
My imagination
My pen
My poetry.

14/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Justice shall prevail
The beginning was strained
And the middle was twisted
Energy has been zapped
But not depleted
Forces of evil have encamped
And held captive
Chains have a weak link
Calamity has a new address
I've been rescued
Revived, resuscitated and renewed

13/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Haiku

Find a good, smart man/
Wait on him to discover/Hide yourself in view

Solace

I rearranged the
Furniture in my living space
Shoved the bed up under
The window
Nights like this I'm glad
I did
A glass of wine
And a cool breeze
Dinner and a movie
I do me
Very well

12/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

You ain't trying to change
Me but your words are spoken
Like a two edge sword
And neither side is
Shaping me
There's only bleeding
And the blood has found
It's way to your hands
Not because
Of the first aid
You're trying to render
After the torture
But because you
Neglected to put
A handle on your
Weaponry
And you now
Realize
That you cut yourself
Before
You stabbed me.

Capricorn

I confess
I'm bossy
because I got the authority
mixed with anointing
and someone wants some of it
so they let me speak into
their life
now if I'm not teaching
or training
I'm assertive
I know what I want
I'm determined
and destined

I confess
I'm bossy
and experience has me
living out loud and confident
but I'm also subserving
and if you know me like you
think you know me
you would've seen
me behind the scenes
in the shadows
gaining strength for the
journey

I confess
I'm bossy
and if you recognize
it in me
that means
you see you
even if the you
that you see
was you yesterday or yesteryear
as the saying goes
"It takes one to know one"
Now chew on that
and let's rise to the
occasion

I confess
I'm bossy

11/30 Soul Strong

It's what's in me that counts
That essence
That stirs up
Souls
That power
That engages and ignites
Fires of freedom
Dances of delight
It's what's in me
That has some
Persecuting
Pressuring
And slandering me
But that one thing
That's in me
Has already risen
And assured the
Victory

Everything is
Debateable
And then it turns
To arguing way too fast
And you're ready to
Walk out the door
We don't even have a
Relationship, courtship or a
Friendship
With all the ideas we got going
On in our heads
We should write a
Manual
And let that be the reason
We even looked at each other
More than once.

10/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

Haiku

He's a good man for
Business, but love is lacking
Relationship dead

Salute Straight Up

He say bossy
I say assertive
How you want me to
Cater to you
While simple hospitality
Gets buried
Out back like a bone
By a dog too hungry
To realize he left
The best meat attached
To the under side
He say bossy
I say assertive
Like the alarm clock bongs
To wake me up for
An interview
But my pillow knows
I never went to sleep
And I'm ready to slay
Dragons and rescue
My ownself
He say bossy
I say assertive
Yeah I got sargent
Stripes on my shoulder
Instead of the proverbial chip
But at anytime I choose
I can hand them over
To you
But alas you ain't ready
My dude!

9/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I'm that woman.
She's been hiding
Under the cover
Of brown skin
Just abiding
Not disturbing
Yet providing
Strength to the masses
Never totally depleted
But reserved
Until most recently
Flood gates sprang
Open
Or was it the built
In pressure relief valve
She cried
And after the Hand
Wiped the tears away
The view was clear
As crystal blue Carribean water
I'm that woman.
Now get out the way!

8/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I am the backbone
The voice of reason
The eyes that see
Beyond the nose
And when the tune
Is right I know the things
Of man that are out
Of sight
I have been the backbone
That carries the weight
Of the business
Served
The wait that is
Patience almost
Lost
I'm the one paying
The second cost
I was the backbone
They don't know
But soon they'll see
When the light shines
On the darkness
And what's left
Will only be a mere shadow
A footprint
And a hope
Of me.

3/30 Springtime

My mind be on
Some new shit every time
You come around
Engaging
Stimulating
Bothering
Disturbing
My seemingly
Left alone moment
Once again
You sneak up on me
Like a caterpillar
Falls from the sky
With a thousand legs
And I don't feel you
Until I see you
And my hands
Fling you through the air
Cause I'm appalled
That I wasn't aware
That you got that close to
Me, dammit
You done gone an
Upset my world again
But in a good way
Pretty little butterfly
Is what you'll be one day
But meanwhile
You're disturbing
My rationale
My logic
And my engineering
Got me waking up in the
Morning because you're
Stuck in my subconscious
Consciously
And I'm hearing birds singing
Outside my window
And my eyes are still heavy
But my mind is saying
Let's go do this
And my body u
Saying shut the hell up
So now the phone is ringing
And voices sound liike
Radiance
And now I'm broke
Broke off in good pieces
Because my heart just
Took flight
Again
I hope this is the last
Time you fall on me
And we can
Attach ourselves
To the limb
Of the tree
Get wrapped up
And hang around together
For what seems like
Centuries
And become
New life
Free to soar to
The highest of heights
With the wind and our dreams
My mind be on
Some new shit everytime
You come around.

7/30 National Poetry Month Challenge

I'm a woman
of many talents
and characteristics
that Jesus gives
but you don't want
to push me close
to the edge
because I won't jump
but I'll fly off
the handle
and give you a piece of
my mind
I'm a woman
of distinction
I move with purpose
and yet I'm a servant
I aim to please
to provide comfort
when you're in my
zone
but don't take advantage of me
I leave you
I'll be gone

6/30 Poetry Month Challenge

The way to a man's heart
Is as different
As each clover
Found
The three leaf
And the haystack
Four leaf
But when you
Acquire it
A treasure is yours
To behold
Like the jewels
In the earth
And the diamonds
Buried deep in coal
The love of a man
Is as well worth the find
As a woman is worth her weight
In gold

5/30 Poetry Month Challenge

I have every reason to smile
just walk with me
and you'll understand
just walk with me
for just a little while!

4/30 Centered

No man is an island
Misanthropic
Though he may
Try
Or think it so
Ego, out of control
Such a lonely state
A solitary stance
But even in the
Middle of nowhere
The sun finds you
There
In your reclusiveness
And bears down
Until you start
Talking to yourself
Considering the alternative
And one is surrounded
By the waters of time
A choice or a consequence
Left to sulk or rejoice
No man is an island
But an unfriendly, standoffish
And lonely soul.

1/30

Poets do it like this
And sometimes
Straight to the point
With precision
And paper
Making cause and purpose
Plainly understood
We use passion
Pens and pencils
To give voice to our thoughts
And your feedback
So the masses and the majority
Can be heard
So the silent and the poor
Don't get overlooked
Misunderstood
Or left behind
Words are powerful j
And moreso when given life
Through performance
Or speech
Get a mic
A megaphone
Or a box
Stand up
Stand on it
Just stand for something
Make a difference
Change a mind, a world
Or a direction
When it's all
Written, spoken and copyrighted
And put to beats
We become a drum
And the globe marches
To a rhythm set
Poets do it like this

2/30 Rays

My ray of sunshine
Has been hidden
Throughout my lifetime
Yet
It's not all that's needed
To see
For when I close my eyes
From within everyone and everything
Is precisely clear and visible to me
One will never know the depth
Of my soul from the outside
Search, feel and breathe the same
The revelation
Is still elusive
The revolution
Turns
Revolves and swings me
I'm a pendulum
The beginning and the end
Yet eternity
My ray of sunshine has been hidden
Deep within
But today I think I see him
Looking back at me
I'm a reflection of the love I seek
Come closer
Cautiously
Sychronosity
Because loves fire
Burns hot and hotter
But doesn't consume
For I am diety
Godlike simplicity
to touch me
Is to know me
To feel me is to kiss
To have me attached
Is penetration
My ray of sunshine
Just came in.

The Color of Hate

She's out in front
Standing higher
Than the rest
Placed on a platform
Elevated just a little
Doesn't make her
Better than the rest
But to them
Something about it
Seems unneccessary
Deems her negative
Questions asked
Are supposed
To be about the
Presentation
Instead the man
Is questioning
Her authority
Could it be her feminity
Her nationality
Her confident smile
Or her commanding tone
The way she moves about the
Room
Handling the microphone
She can't find the right
Word to describe the vibe
But for sure it
Felt discrimnatory
She's not backing down
Although her voice speaks
Volumes in strength
Her face shows
Disbelief and some disgust
She cannot hide the ill
Feeling reeling round
Inside her but
The evening must go on
According to the plan
The color of hate
Shall not win this hour
For the Nubian Queen
Stands in power.

Lover's Blues

In the day
And the midnight hour
Flashlight
Moonlight
Almost exhausted
But not willing to give up
Or let go of the hope
That lies between the fingers
And the threads of a three
Layered
Rope
A lover's grief
As they search for the
Complement to their silhouette
Knowing that with
The heart as a guide the first
Love of all loves
Is buried deep inside
For the riches that
A lover needs most
Lie dormant
Like hibernation
Until the season is right
One doesn't search for the sun
They simply wait for it's rising
And one has only to wait
For it's setting
To encounter the moon
And the stars
Finding your true love
Should be a natural
Melody
As easy as nature
In the day
And the midnight hour.

Legacy of Jesus

That life that can be lived
by you
And by me
Everywhere
Intangible, visible
Totally obtainable
Clearly understood
Yet misconstrued
Because we keep trying
To fit the mold.
The framework that society keeps forcing us into.
Jesus is a legacy
But we've been given opportunity.
Golden.
Long past the proverbial pot
At the end of the rainbow.
The past
The ancestry
Will make it's way back around
Just wait and see
Nothing is new under the sun
Only redefined
Eye know this
and you'll see
In due time
More than a piece of property
Take Him alongside
right up to the gates of eternity
and at the same instance
He'll be there waiting
for you
The wait of life
Is nothing compared to the
Weight of the cross
all to gain
ain't nothing lost
Jesus is a legacy
Making me a legacy
We went to the same school
Eye know
You'll see
Outdated
and obsolete
that will be us one day
it's the body thang
just keep breathing
my inheritance
will give my soul wings
making me rich
beyond belief
Jesus is a legacy.
Eye know this
you'll see.

Lighthouse Blues

Shinning bright
Like a North Star
At midnight
In the middle of the terrain
Along the peninsula
Close to the shore
Water washes
Waves crash
But force is just a breeze
Devastation doesn't touch me
I'm a lighthouse
On a mountain high
Or maybe not but
I'm content
To shine t'wards all four corners
Of the world
From atop this pile of rocks.

Beyond the Eyes

The sky is where I send my prayers
High above the clouds
Beyond the eyes reach
Help me
Be patient
And wait on my just right
Man
Now I ain't say perfect
Because I'm that smart
I know perfection is a trick
None of us has that
Sucker licked
We're all short
Lacking some characteristic
That keeps us sane
But enough flaws that make
Us unique
Added to a little
Pizazz
Ensures we're not plain
I send my prayers to the sky
Out of reach beyond the eyes
The moon
The stars
The sun
They all do their part
Making us a revolution
Everyday is a brand new start
And I wait for him
To love
To be love
To give love
A ring on my phone
A ring on my finger
And a ring around a planet
I have the world
Because I'm the King's girl
Waiting on my just right man
To set me on my axis
In the middle of his
Galaxy.

Desert Love

Dehydrated or so it seems
my love life is barren
every so often along the way
I run into a cactus
but before I can enjoy
the fruit of it I prick
the fingers of my heart
I think I'll turn into a camel
and live off the love leftover
in the hump on my back
suppose it will get me just so far
is there a gauge in that hump

My Eros is in error
like negative in it's polar effect
or so it seems
I'm looking to the future
and every time I think I'm getting closer
there the heat is
I recognize a mirage when I feel one
I mean when I see one
I'm wild and lovely but
alone in my wilderness
Dehydrated or so it seems

There's that love designed for desert
living and it's going to find it's way
to me for I am a resting place
for weary affection that
has traveled the sands of a lonely
existence
I am a burst of color
Saxifrage.
  

Imitations

Poetry does imitate life
Be mindful of the fact
And some days
She is simply a crayon
A charcoal pencil
An awesome art form
A greeting of great joy
A trumpet sound
Before impending success
Poetry
A cross to bear
Words to share
And spread
A mindset
A flowers sensational aroma
A monster sized footprint
Poetry does imitate life

Pillow Talk

He wants to hear
what's on my mind
Looks me in the eye
And sees the inquiry
The sparkle
Magnified
Says I can talk
Until I fall asleep

Harem

Despicable laced lips
Talking at me as if his life
And living ain't foul
To say his past is better
Than mine
My last days have
Been promised to out
Shine my present days
Something he obviously
Doesn't understand
Never been married
A tag that just might
Satisfy and mesmerize
As if to say he's a virgin
A good catch
But in reality
He's just as used
As he makes me out to be
Uncommitted wretch you see
We both have children
To the same count
Three
He ain't never been married
But freedom cost a pretty penny
I walked that aisle
Times two
Stayed in there first
Certified family
Fourteen years
Ups and downs
Ins and outs
He ain't never been married
As if to say he's a virgin
Three girl children
That's what he has
Talking at me like he don't have a past
That lacks commitment
Of the committed kind
When he gets mad he walks
Out the door
Because that's how he plays
The game
Trying to make me feel bad
With insults in disguise
Set a good example I say
Stop telling lies
If you want to show a woman
Respect marry her and give her
Your name anything short
Of that is just a crying shame
Hopefully she recognizes her worth
And doesn't allow you to
Keep up this crime.

Baited

Shall I wait for you
Like trees reach for the sky
Like embers burn
And hot spots
Spark,
Until water quenches
The desire
Shall I wait for you
While your absence
Or indifference to love
Wiles away the glow
That hides and resides
Deep within
Like caterpillars change
Into butterflies inside
Cocoons
Shall I wait for you
Like balloons
Soar to heights unreachable
And unforeseeable
No strings attached
Nothing holding love
Back
Shall I wait for you

Eye Dreams

I write poetry
and love is my theme
it tells a story
that comes to life
every night in my
dreams
I'm a dreamer
but meaning and purpose
line my eyelids
when I'm deep in sleep
affection is my aim
my heart is set
to directly direct
an arrow with
passion dipped like poison
to connect and calm
the flight that lays wait
inside
of you
run a little longer knowing
you can't hide forever
and when you stop
my love will cause you
to wonder why you ever ran
from me
the dream will become your
reality
love will paint a memory
upon the canvas of your heart
and we'll be stuck like glue
the kind with
supernatural strength
that holds grains of sand
together.

Love is An Illusion

My type of guy
comes to life everyday
in my memory

He is alive and can be
found on the streets of
Virginia

But I don't think
he realizes his
positioned place
in my history

My type of guy
came to my rescue
like he said he would
and even though
the expertise eluded him
he did shine

Nowadays
he's a picture
captured
hid and displayed
because some days that's all
I have.

 

Teach Me

I wanna know you
Let me near
Close enough to get
Your quirks
And whisper
In your ears
The tunnels that connect
Land to sea
That take me from your hands
Straight to your hear
And never leave you empty
I wanna know you
How to caress you
Like no other has ever
To touch you with my
Eyes and mesmerize you
With a smile
To make the finest of hairs
Stand horizontal.

Aroma Therapy

And how does she do it
Every night
With the patience of anticipation
She waits for the day
The evening
When his scent is all it takes
To lull her to sleep at the sun's setting
And the moon's
Rising and when morning comes
And the optimum
Optical finds her eyes set
On him
A perfect methodical
Pacifying tower
And she waits

I'm in Love

When I open my eyes
It's love I see
Creative energy
Sunshine from the inside
Of me

I'm in love with
The inner woman
And when we step out
We invite

I'm universal, universe
We're wide and deep
Strong and sweet
Life carriers
Breath breathers

I'm in love

Change of Mind

I changed my mind
when I realized I
was reacting to the rejection
that wasn't supposed to offend

I can't make him love me
like me or appreciate
the time he spent with me
enough

Choosing to ignore
me is a choice
people make
however I'm crossing
over

I'm taking me by the
hand, by the halo
that is my energy
and I'm going to shine

When I see you
I'm speaking
smiling and laughing
because seriously
I love the goodness of joy

I changed my mind

My Man

My man is gorgeous
I felt him near me
I heard his voice
and peppermint
is the taste of him
others see him and ask
and others see us and know

My man is gorgeous
and he's with me wherever
I am
he goes
and when I can't see him
he sees me

My man is gorgeous
tall, thick and pretty brown
his arms got me
his feet carry me
attached to his legs
that keep both of us

My man is gorgeous
I want him
when I think of him
I want him
when I embrace him
I keep him in my heart

My man is gorgeous
he was with me in my
dreams
he has me talking in my
sleep
and when I wake up

My man is gorgeous
he inspires me to write poetry
he is my poetry
my prose
my vocabulary

My man is gorgeous
he's my therapy
he keeps me straight
and bends my curves
and strokes my alters

My man is gorgeous

Just A Thought

How did I get here
does it really even matter
if nothing changes about the way
you react to me

I was made from the earth
I am the earth
now that's something powerful
to state

How dare I, right
what you believe
is your privilege
what I receive is my inheritance.

Switch

I can do it just like that
especially when the flood gates
weren't opened yet
I can do it just like that
the flip of the wrist
the blink of an eye

Love is real
soft, pliable and resilient
but love is not for sale
not from this gal

One cannot take my emotions
lightly although I'm a loving, giving spirit
the Agape of me is the breezy
but the heart of my love takes
ethics

I can do it just like that
switch direction, attention
and affection
One can be left with the more
than empty that we started with 

Surrender

I can't get married today
But I want more from him
Than just a midnight fling
I hear him singing melodies
That I wrote with my words
But I'm thinking
Giving in to my whims
Like a whisper
Has to be sinful
Because it's too much
Fun
To be so carefree
With the essence of me
But I've lived so long
In this virtual world
That I deserve to visit
My dreams before I
Land on eternity

Go to Sleep

Poetry is my escape
It's where I go to get away
From get away
I can't sleep
But I don't wanna stay awake
Closing my eyes is the simplest
Body function
Next to breathing
I close my eyes
Yet my mind keeps racing
And then my fingers wake
Start to tapping
Grabbing
And squeezing
A pen
A pencil
A crayon
Then I write a sentence
Draw a colored path
On canvas paper
So I can escape
Away from here
But even after I've traversed
The inside
Outskirts
Of my cerebral
Brain
Inner thoughts
I wind up back
At the beginning
Of the end of my last verse
Poetry is my getaway
And music is the wind.

Vacancy

Ready
Fresh
Dressed in white
A room
A special place
Crisp linen
Not perfect
But straight
Right
A love life
And pure heart
Waiting
For a worthy
Loving occupant
Who longs to be
Wrapped
About
With a breeze
Filled with moisture
Blowing from an ocean
Sized view
A table draped
Crimson
Roses
Heart strength
Aroma
Stained atmosphere
Just waiting
With candle light
Bright
Like moonlit
Nights

Calgon

I want to come home to you
my man
at the end of my day
and share with you
my triumphs and my cares
while my troubles melt away
because having you by my side
lightens my load
and doubles my pleasures.

I want to talk to you
until I fall asleep
and the next day
make passionate love to you
for total ecstasy and relief!

I want to feel you
your physical, your mental
and your spiritual
I want to be so close to you
that lost in you is the same
as found with you.

I want to come home to you
my man.

Daybreak

I want to wake up in
The morning
Next to you
Filling in the space
Snuggled in the gap
Where once lay empty
Empty
Void of warmth and love
I want to be in that ambit
For safekeeping
Me, my heart and my fancy
For you.

Not Playing The Game

It's true
I'm attracted to him
His smile
His quiet demeanor
The good man I see him to be
But I don't want a man
Who don't want me.
Now that wasn't what his
Words professed in the beginning
Wasn't what his body said
When he was leaning
Wasn't what his finger were feeling
When he was running them
Across my 'fro around
My perfectly shaped head.
Must be a disconnect
In that thinking
That thought he could
Have it all
While giving very little.
This ain't that game
I don't know how to play
Where pawns move
And mates get checked
This is my heart at stake
And he can't have it if I
Don't cross the line.

Wellness

I want to share my water
Won't you come drink with me
And listen to the melodies
Of our heart strings.
Stand a little closer
So you can hear the
Rhythms of your words
As they reverberate
Off my eardrums
And reciprocate the sensual
From my lips
To the tips of your
Sensitive
Self revealed.
You don't have to tear
Down your walls
Just build a door
Perfect
For me!
I want to share my water with you.

Sleep Watcher

I watched him sleep
A thousand times
In my dreams
And once,
In reality
'Cause upon
Awakening
He disappeared
From me
I wanted him
In a lustful way
But I desired to hold
Him in my. Heart
For eternity
So I closed my eyes
Regularly
And tight
No peeking
As I didn't give
An open invite to
Jeopardy
To kill what might be
Someday
I watched him sleep
A thousand times
In my dreams
And once,
In reality!

Girl Pieces

Behaviors insane
Lies from deep within
Turning smiles upside down
A crying shame
But the tears only last
As long as the gasp
Then you realize
You already knew the path
So you gather your mustard
And all the other spices
That girls are made of.

Celebrate With A Leap

Celebrations to be had

with the rising of the sun

and the setting of the same

a day of accomplishments

well done

I leap for joy because I can

praising God

thanking Him for His

awesome plan.

Not only am I clothed

with cloth

but my mind is right

set on heavenly things

grateful for healthy eyes

that allow me to see the Light

before me

and the bright colors

of my dreams.

My horizons

are level

my mountains are high

my plains are flat

and my valleys are green

no matter where I find myself

my companion is the same

and Jesus is his name.

Long Road to Heaven

Only I can have my madness
to sit up in the middle of the wee
hours of the morning
and pen my heart's temporary
misery

And keep my smile
brilliant and bright
for all the world to see
in the morning

Tears of unnamed
destiny
from anger, to bliss
to stupidity on
both parties parts

Only I can have my madness
he won't get the credit
for making my mascara run
it'll be the wind and crashing
rain that brings this pain
to my facial skin.

No Time

I can't afford to have a broken heart
'Cause I got too much work to do
So I'm going to take my heart box
And give it back to Jesus
He knows what He wants
And that is for me to love strong
Free to love
Knowing reciprocity is a river
A honey comb
Of never ending sweetness
My friend and my lover
A title man wants without the sacrifice
Or that man
Wants to touch my halo with his hands
And drag my heart by a string frayed
I can't afford to have a broken heart
'Cause I got too much work to do
Left alone again I'll cry in the dark
And when morning comes
Me and Jesus will go for a walk
In the park
Hand in hand
Until that man can fill His shoes.

Stand Me Up

I am weak dear God
Won't you let Jesus tarry
With me for a while
That I might lean
And glean from the strength
Of his touch
The warmth of his glow
And the love of his heart??

Woseum

I am a woman
a building full
of ideas
and emotions
too many hallways
and stairways

He will never know
all of me
his feet won't traverse
the marble
that is the strength of me
but his shoes will scuff
just the entrance way

I am a woman
with corridors long
that lead to other
doors
with no knobs
and no hinges
and no keys

How can that be?

I am a woman
I am a mystery
I am a life giving soul
I am the be of all be

Pineapple

Really
I was listening to every word he said
Fact is
His actions were louder
I felt them
They resonated past my ear drums
And richocet
Against my dermis to the inside
Of my heart
Causing an illusion in the kaleidoscope
Of my brain
Giving hallucinations to my waking moments
And my intuition
She knew it
She called it
Before he breathed it
But it didn't make the blow
Any softer
Frustration
I'll find joy in the morning
When I roll over.